EARTH NEGOTIATIONS BULLETIN
PUBLISHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT (IISD)
WRITTEN AND EDITED BY:
Peter Doran
Virginia Hulme
Yang Wanhua
Lynn Wagner
Steve Wise .
FRENCH TRANSLATION BY:
Mongi Gadhoum .
Managing Editor
Langston James Goree VI "Kimo"
A DAILY REPORT ON THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN
Vol. 14 No. 10 Monday, 4 September 1995
THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN
MONDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 1995
The Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW), meeting in
Beijing, China from 4 to 15 September 1995, will discuss
and adopt a Platform for Action, as well as hear Plenary
statements and commitments from governments regarding the
women of the world. The draft Platform for Action
(A/CONF.177/L.1), which will serve as the basis for
negotiations, was originally prepared by the FWCW
Secretariat, with input from five regional group
meetings, four expert group meetings, consultations with
UN agencies, and informal, open-ended consultations in
December 1994. The UN member States began negotiations on
the draft Platform from 15 March to 7 April 1995, at UN
Headquarters in New York, during the 39th session of the
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Negotiations
continued during informal consultations, which were held
from 31 July to 4 August 1995 to reduce the number of
outstanding issues to be discussed here in Beijing.
Opening ceremonies will be held today, 4 September, after
which delegates will begin to hear statements from States
and agencies. Negotiations on the draft Platform for
Action will resume on Tuesday, 5 September.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DRAFT PLATFORM FOR ACTION
In resolution 45/129, the UN General Assembly endorsed
resolution 1990/12 of the Economic and Social Council,
which called for a world conference on women to be held
in 1995 and requested that the CSW serve as the
preparatory committee for the conference. In section III
of resolution 37/7, the CSW requested that the Secretary-
General prepare a draft Platform for its 38th session.
Following that meeting, the CSW requested, in resolution
38/10, that the Secretary-General further develop the
draft Platform, taking into account the results of
regional group meetings.
REGIONAL GROUP MEETINGS
The regional group meetings were organized by the UN
Economic Commissions. The High-level Regional Preparatory
Meeting of the ECE was held in Vienna from 17-21 October
1994. The Sixth Regional Conference on the Integration of
Women into the Economic and Social Development of Latin
American and the Caribbean met in Mar del Plata,
Argentina from 20-25 September 1994, where the region's
Platform for Action was discussed. The Platform was
finalized at a 16-18 November meeting in Chile. The
Second Asian and Pacific Ministerial Conference on Women
in Development was held at Jakarta, Indonesia from 7-14
June 1994. The Fifth African Regional Conference on Women
was held at Dakar, Senegal from 16-23 November 1994. The
Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting was held at Amman,
Jordan from 9-10 November 1994. Each meeting adopted a
regional platform, which identified specific problems
faced by women in that region.
EXPERT GROUP MEETINGS
The Expert Group meetings focused on the subjects of:
gender, education and training; women and economic
decision-making; institutional and financial arrangements
for the implementation of the FWCW's Platform for Action;
and gender and the agenda for peace. The Expert Group
meeting on the promotion of literacy, education and
training, including technological skills, took place at
the ILO International Training Center in Turin, Italy
from 10-14 October 1994. The Expert Group on women and
economic decision-making met in New York, from 7-11
November 1994. The Expert Group considering institutional
and financial arrangements met in New York from 21-23
November 1994. The Expert Group meeting on peace and
women in international decision-making took place in New
York from 5-9 December 1994.
THE 39th SESSION OF THE CSW
The 39th Session of the Commission on the Status of
Women, acting as the preparatory body for the FWCW, held
its third and final preparatory session at the UN
Headquarters in New York from 15 March to 4 April, 1995.
This Session presented the first opportunity for
delegates to examine and negotiate the draft Platform for
Action to be adopted in Beijing. Due to the number of
amendments to the Secretariat's draft Platform and the
lack of agreement on numerous issues, negotiations moved
to informal sessions early in the meeting. Delegates
agreed to extend the CSW by three days in order to
complete examination of every section of the draft
Platform. The draft Platform, as adopted by the CSW,
focuses on 12 critical areas of concern. In addition, a
draft Declaration was drawn up by the G-77/China for
negotiation and adoption at the FWCW, and an extra
section dedicated to the girl child was added to the
Platform.
Two key debates marked the Session. A small group of
delegations objected to some sections of the draft that
reaffirmed commitments adopted at previous UN
conferences, notably the ICPD in Cairo. Secondly, a
number of delegations objected to the use of the term
"gender" in the Platform and proposed that it be
bracketed throughout. A Contact Group was set up to
report on this question to the FWCW. At the close of the
CSW 20 percent of the draft Platform remained in
brackets.
Mindful of modest resource commitments and with a view to
pressing for an action-oriented Conference in Beijing and
adequate effort to implement the Platform, the meeting
also focused on two initiatives: an Australian call for a
"Conference of Commitments," and a proposal to install an
ombudswoman and unit in the office of the Secretary-
General.
INFORMAL CONSULTATIONS
Due to the large number of outstanding issues in the
draft Platform for Action, ECOSOC mandated an additional
week of informal consultations, which were held from 31
July to 4 August 1995 at UN Headquarters in New York.
Delegates established the ground rule that agreements
made in New York would be respected in Beijing. Delegates
used two working groups to address disputed text by issue
area, aided by an informal note prepared by the
Secretariat that grouped bracketed text into issue
"clusters". Working Group I, chaired by Patricia Licuanan
(Philippines), addressed issues related to the macro-
economic framework, resources and institutional
framework. Working Group II, chaired by Irene
Freudenschuss (Austria), addressed issues related to
human rights and diversity. Progress was made in removing
brackets from references to a number of economic and
human rights issues, including structural adjustment
programmes, sustainable development, international human
rights instruments and economic rights. Other issues,
such as references to the concepts of equity/equitable,
proved more difficult and remain bracketed. All issues
related to health were held over for discussion in
Beijing. The product of the informal consultations
(A/CONF.177/L.3), which notes all text successfully
negotiated during the informal consultations, is to be
transmitted to the FWCW for consideration.
PRE-CONFERENCE CONSULTATIONS
Pre-Conference consultations were held 2-3 September,
1995, at the BICC in Beijing to consider organizational
and procedural matters. Secretary-General Mongella opened
the consultations, after which Li Zhaoxing, Vice Minister
for Foreign Affairs of the PRC, was elected Chair of the
pre-conference consultations. UN Secretary Boutros
Boutros-Ghali conveyed his regrets to the conference that
he was too ill to attend the FWCW opening ceremonies.
Delegates moved quickly through the agenda, which
included recommendations to the FWCW on the adoption of:
the provisional rules of procedure (A/CONF.177/2 and
A/CONF.177/3); election of officers (A/CONF.177/3);
adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters
(A/CONF.177/1); organization of work, including the
establishment of the Main Committee (A/CONF.177/3);
credetions (A/CONF.177/3); report of the Conference
(A/CONF.177.3); and report of the pre-Conference
consultations. Delegates were informed that the results
of the August informal consultations were being submitted
for their consideration (A/CONF.177/L.3), and were
reminded of their agreement to endorse the outcome.
DRAFT PLATFORM FOR ACTION
The draft Platform for Action consists of six chapters:
the mission statement; the global framework; critical
areas of concern; strategic objectives and actions;
institutional arrangements; and financial arrangements.
The twelve critical areas of concern, which are
elaborated on in the chapter on strategic objectives and
actions, relate to: women in poverty; education and
health care; violence against women; effects of conflict
on women; power-sharing and decision-making; mechanisms
to promote the advancement of women; human rights; mass
media; women's management of natural resources and the
environment; and the girl child. The G-77/China proposed
a draft Conference Declaration, to which the EU, US and
Canada proposed amendments. The Declaration will be
negotiated entirely in Beijing.
THINGS TO LOOK FOR TODAY
WELCOMING CEREMONY: The Government of the People's
Republic of China has issued invitations to a welcoming
ceremony in The Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen
Square, at 10:00 am.
PLENARY: The opening Plenary will meet at 3:00 pm in
BICC Hall No. 1. Tickets will be required for admission.
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Mr.
Kittani, will give the opening address. Ms. Chen Muhua,
Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the
National People's Congress of the PRC, is expected to be
elected President of the Conference. As recommended by
the 2-3 September Pre-Conference Consultations, delegates
are then expected to adopt: the rules of procedure
(A/CONF.177/2 and 177/3); the agenda and other
organizational matters (A/CONF.177/1); election of
officers other than the President (A/CONF.177/3); and
organization of work, including the establishment of the
Main Committee of the Conference (A/CONF.177/3). They
will also appoint members of and receive a report from
the Credentials Committee (A/CONF.177/3). Patricia
Licuanan (Philippines) is expected to be elected chair of
the Main Committee. Secretary-General of the Conference,
Gertrude Mongella, will then address the Plenary. The
general exchange of views will commence following her
address, and is expected to continue until Thursday, 14
September. Many speakers are expected to announce
commitments to take action in support of the Conference
objectives during their seven minute statements. Some
evening sessions may be necessary to accommodate all the
speakers. The first speakers in the general exchange of
views will be Prime Minister Bhutto (Pakistan), President
Finnbogadottir (Iceland), Prime Minister Zia
(Bangladesh), and Vice-President Kazibwe (Uganda).
MAIN COMMITTEE: The Main Committee will begin
negotiations on the draft Platform for Action Tuesday
morning. Two working groups are scheduled to examine the
outstanding issues. Two contact groups may be necessary
to negotiate the Declaration and the draft section on
health. The Main Committee is expected to begin by
considering the report of the Informal Contact Group on
Gender (A/CONF.177/L.2) and the Non-Paper
(A/CONF.177/L.3) that was transmitted to the FWCW from
the August informal consultations.
UN WORKSHOPS: Agencies of the UN have organized a series
of workshops and panels on Conference-related issues,
which will be held in the Securities and Exchange
Building, opposite the BICC from 5 to 14 September.
This issue of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (c)
is written and edited by Peter Doran
, Virginia Hulme, Yang Wanhua
, Lynn Wagner
and Steve Wise . French translation by
Mongi Gadhoum . The Managing Editor
of the Bulletin is Langston James Goree VI "Kimo"
. The sustaining donors of the
Bulletin are the International Institute for Sustainable
Development (iisd@web.apc.org), the United Nations
Environment Programme and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
General support for the Bulletin during 1995 is provided
by the United Kingdom, Switzerland, GTZ and the World
Bank. Partial funding for this volume of the Bulletin has
been provided by the Ford Foundation, CIDA, Denmark,
UNFPA, the Rockefeller Foundation and UNIFEM. The authors
can be contacted in Beijing at the Continental Grand
Hotel by phone at +86 10 491 55 88 and fax at +86 10 491
0107. IISD can be contacted at 161 Portage Ave. E. Sixth
Floor, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0Y4 Canada. The opinions
expressed in the Earth Negotiations Bulletin are those of
the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of
IISD and other funders. Excerpts from the Earth
Negotiations Bulletin may be used in other publications
with appropriate citation. Electronic versions of the
Bulletin are automatically sent to e-mail distribution
lists (ASCII and PDF format) and can be found on the
Internet on the Linkages World Wide Web server at
on the Internet. For
further information on ways to access, support or contact
the Earth Negotiations Bulletin send e-mail to
.
The Earth Negotiations Bulletin may not be reproduced,
reprinted or posted to any system or service outside of
the APC networks and the ENB listserver, without specific
permission from the International Institute for
Sustainable Development. This limitation includes
distribution via Usenet News, bulletin board systems,
mailing lists, print media and broadcast. For more
information, send a message to .